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I spent about 12 hours today and yesterday reviewing as many throws as I could for Colt McCoy, Josh Freeman, Matt Moore, and Sam Bradford, to post their reviews in conjunction with this thread and it's requests for these four specifically to be reviewed.

I'll post it all here now, and copy/paste it into the main/original post as well.

Enjoy!
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Colt McCoy: Stat line - 2524 Yds, 14 TD, 9 INT

McCoy looked like he was going to develop into the real "answer" for Cleveland last season. But then again, so did Derek Anderson.

-Has a bit of an underwhelming velocity, but it's capable of getting the job done. You don't need a big arm to succeed.

-Can really deliver a beautifully timed throw on those really west-coast like routes, such as the cross, the wheel, the sluggo, etc. He definitely fits the system well and plays like it is intended for him to succeed in.

-Although this can be said of just about any QB in the history of QB, he seems to play much better when his running game is going well. The difference here though, is that some of the better QBs - the ones who typically have nice long careers - can still make things happen despite the run game being taken away by the defense. McCoy has been average in this department, maybe a bit below average, even.

-Doesn't have the pure accuracy you want of a pocket passer, but makes up for it very well with awesome timing and placement. Which again, goes back to the system - the system asks for timing and placement, and McCoy is more than on par for it.

-While the term 'system QB' tends to annoy the heck outta me, as all QBs need a system that plays to their abilities and hides their weaknesses, McCoy epitomizes the term:
*If the timing of the play is pushed off, either by a good blitz or a nice jam at the line, McCoy has a hard time improvising or finding an alternative to taking a sack or throwing a risky/bad pass.
*Tends to stare down the target the play is designed for, and throws the ball to the target regardless of coverage - albeit with the perfect timing and placement asked of him. Still though, you need to improvise in such a system under that situation.
*Refuses to divert away from the designated hot route and all in all just doesn't divert away from the system. While this is typically a good thing, you also need your QB to have some balls and make a throw outside of what he's told to do - else you end up with a very average, very basic, very rudimentary offense. But with that defense and running game (when Hillis is back to going full force), I guess such a bland passing attack works fine.

McCoy has some of the basics a coach loves - particularly how he plays to the play call and play design so firmly. But the things that make him great, are the same things that are going to keep him relatively pedestrian throughout his career. On the bright side (as if knowing you have a stable QB isn't 'bright' enough), with that defense, and two runners capable of topping 1100 yards on the ground, all you really need to survive is a pedestrian passing attack that can just extend drives and not turn the ball over.

Sam Bradford: Stat line - 1971 Yds, 6 TD 5 INT

Bradford puzzles me. I know he was working through injury earlier this season, and struggles to learn a more progression based passing attack under McDaniels. But he hasn't shown any of the greatness and promise this season that he did last season.

-He has a fabulous release speed and release point. Peyton-esque. Truly amazing. Too bad he don't decide as fast and holds the ball far too long

-He plays with great footwork which helps keep his timing in sync with the playcall. Too bad his offense is no longer purely timing based and he holds the ball too long.

-Probaly the tops in all the young QBs with pure, spot on accuracy - he could likely knock the wings off of a fly 25 yards away if he had a small enough football to do so without killing the fly.

-He can make all the throws. He can hit his man anywhere on the field without a hiccup. It's just too bad he's holding the ball so long and missing those throws.

-He has that real Rodgers and Brady like habit of putting the ball where only his target has a chance to make the catch, even if it's not pretty, and far from a simple catch. But again, it's too bad he misses out on even more of this by holding the ball so long!

-He's got some real star power behind him, with Jackson running and Lloyd catching. He's got the spices, he just has to start making the meal again:
*He's shown he can make the plays, but this new system is kicking his rear end pretty badly. He's not making decisions, and holding the ball far too long
*Bradford spends too much time patting the ball anticipating his throw, and not enough time just trusting his gut and letting it rip.
*Very bad timing on his look-offs. WHile it's great to see a young QB making an attempt at a very veteran move such as looking off defenders, he's looking off a moment too late and then rushing the throw with diminished accuracy.
*Every QB at some point goes through a learning phase that changes all they understood of their team's passing attack. Some more deep than others, but still should not result in such a drastic change in performance. I'm starting to question his mental fortitude - perhaps he's just one of those guys who's too stubborn to accept change.

Bradford has all one could ask for. He could probably be "the next big thing" at Quarterback - the ones with all the numbers, who make average receivers look like stars, and takes an offense of near nobodies to championship games. He's accurate, he's got that jet fueled arm, he's got that lightening release, he isn't easily rattled...but he just can't decide what to do with it, it seems. maybe it's the change in offense, maybe it's stubbornness, maybe last year was an abberation...who knows? What I do know, is that this kid, if he puts to back together, is going give defensive coordinators of NFC playoff contenders heartburn every January for about a decade.

Matt Moore: Stat line - 1765 Yds, 9 Td, 5 Int

During the NFL draft the year Moore was coming out of college, I remember listening to my favorite guru on X's, O's, and of course, QB's - Ron Jaworski - talk about Moore displaying things at the college level that only veteran professional QBs usually show. He caused me to waqtch some footage of Moore, and I had to agree with jaws: it's a wonder how Moore wasn't drafted.

-Matt Moore looks of the defenders like a wiley veteran. He times the look off well, and comes back to his read quickly just as he's planting and throwing - there is no loss of velocity of accuracy. This just seems to come naturally to him, as it was something Jaws talked about too when Moore was just coming out of college.

-He doesn't have that rocket arm, nor does he have that bullseye accuracy: but he's got just enough of both to be deadly if he finds his man and makes his read - he'll get the ball there quickly and on target asap.

-He stands tall under pressure, but also seems very much at home slipping out of the pocket to keep looking up the field for a target: he's done this since college, which is surprising, as it's usually only something guys learn after a couple years in the NFL.

-Moore isn't without nuance though, as he's still got those quirks that likely had teams opt to pass on him through seven rounds of the NFL draft:
*Very awkward footwork. His timing can be completely thrown off if his footwork don't stay in rythm, and he often misfires the ball because his feet weren't ready to be planted when he was ready to make the throw based on the read.
*Hyperextends for deep throws, winding up far too much and pushing the ball too much. This leads to too many hits, near sacks, sacks, and poorly timed deliveries on vertical tosses. This is a major reason why he's got an average of nearly 4 sacks per game in his 8 starts this season.
*he seems to not mind one bit throwing on the run. The problem is, he's just not very good at it - he underthrows when he does so, and these underthrows can turn into costly picks. He needs to set his feet and throw when he rolls out, not try to fire it on the move like Roethlisberger or Romo; Moore just isn't made for that.
*Some of the picks he's thrown are clearly overwhelmingly bad decisions, something that has always plagued him. It's different between making a bad read, or seeing something you realize wasn't there and thus making a poor decision. Moore just blatantly throws the ball where it has no business going - and makes the same bad decisions each time. I guess however, it's kind of like the star hitter in baseball who strikes out on the "high ones," but loves how tempting they are for the big knock that he can't stop himself from swinging on it anyway.

I've always thought highly of Moore. Since the first day I heard Jaws speak of him before the start of day 2 of the Draft (back when the 3rd round started bright and early Sunday), and I always will think highly of him. He's got the makings of a quarterback who can have an outing that just simply wins the game for your team, or an outing that can really fudge your hopes at victory. Very Favre or Romo like in that manner. But that passer with the balls to try regardless of the heat, and with the little extras Moore has to aid him in making sure the good happens more than the bad, is someone you just absolutely have to root for IMO.

Josh Freeman: Stat line - 2715 Yds, 12 TD, 16 Int

Freeman, last season, was an absolute phenomenon. He swept the NFL and it's fans up in his arms and threw you on his shoulder everytime it was the 4th quarter and the Buccs were down a score. He seemed to be one of those rare breeds of QB where you just kind of expect a big play everytime your team is going to lose unless they get one. But every hero has their villain...unfortunately for this hero called Josh Freeman, his villain is himself.

-Josh's story begins and ends with how he handles the blitz: with inconsistency. He can make a D. Coordinator regret blitzing half the time he drops back under the blitz; but he can also make them grin happily the other half. He can release well and he makes a fast read to throw it past the blitz - but he can also throw it into the coverage away from the blitz. I'm wondering how much of this is scheme oriented, though.

-Typically, he takes very good care of the football. He doesn't make many risky throws when he has options, and tends to make good reads. But his tendency to throw away from the rush or blitz has cost him far too many picks this season. Ideally, you want to throw at or behind the blitz, to where the lapse in coverage due to the removal of a defender for an extra rusher can be exploited.

-Steps up under pressure to deliver the ball, and doesn't let the pressure ruin the play until it actually has done so with a sack. He just needs to go back to throwing past the pressure to exploit the gaps and windows.

-The kid has that winner in him. I don't know what you want to call it. Maybe it's a bit of moxy, or determination, or will power. Maybe it's all three. Maybe I should just call this feature "Tebow." Whatever you want to call it, Freeman has it: He wins games. Fourth quarter, down by 4, minute and thirty to go, and Freeman will put you in a position to rally to a win. If you were in a supermarket, and that 'winner' quality was a canned food, you'd buy whats on the shelf and ask the stock boy to bring you up some more.

-He's pretty darn mobile within the pocket, and throws well from outside of it. These two qualities make for a QB who is pretty hard to stop on third down...as long as his mistakes and lack of a running game havent put you in a third and ten or more almost all of the time:
*Continues to make the ill fated mistake of throwing to the field side opposite of the blitz, making a bad throw a worse throw that many people call an interception.
*Tends to throw his deep tosses blindly. He sees his one on one down the field and lets it go. This can be an awesome quality in a QB with a deep field monster like C. Johnson, R. Moss, P. Burress (pre-jail time) - you know the types, the ones who can just outrun, out jump, and out muscle most of the DB's they're up against. But if you don't have one of those, you need to be more judicious with tossing it down field just because it's one on one. Otherwise, you end up doing what I tend to call "throwing a punt." Basically, a change of possession 30-50 yards up the field - a punt.
*Even when he had a running game, his play action fakes left much to be desired. He is easy to read, and doesn't get his back to the defense to make a fake believable: by my count, 4 of this season's picks came due to a poor fake that not a single DB seemed to bite on.
*Doesn't throw a very tight spiral. Yeah yeah, I know - Eli doesn't either, nor does Big Ben, and both have a ring. I get that. But how many centerfield picks have they thrown in their careers because of it? Well, Freeman is going the same route. Spiral on a football is like rifling in a modern firearm: the spiral action works with aerodynamics to create a more accurate projectile. Without those tight spirals, balls across the center of the field (where much of the traffic is) can easily become picks by guys who really aren't supposed to be making picks.

Freeman can win you games. He's competitive, he's strong, he's mobile, he makes good reads...he should have no problem returning to last year's form sometime soon. He isn't lacking in ability and his play style isn't really changed from a year ago. Teams are just attacking his weaknesses more, and it's showing in the form of more picks than scores. This is a hump all quarterbacks have to go through at some point when teams learn how to attack you - the good ones make it past this hump and make defenses pay. The bad ones fall hard into mediocrity and back up roles. My opinion? Freeman will get through it. And he'll be better because of it. All the signs point that way, anyway.
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There you all go. I hope it's informative and that you learn much! I put a lot of effort and time into studying all I did to meet the requests of you all for reviews on these four guys specifically.

Next week, or sometime real soon, I'll get to work on the last two QBs I'll be reviewing for this piece: Flacco and Ryan._________________

Your Freeman breakdown is spot on. In particular, your point about blindly tossing it deep rings true. We have some nice depth at the WR position (Williams, Benn, Parker, Briscoe and Stroughter), but we are really missing that deep threat that can run under a Freeman bomb, or out muscle a DB for a jump ball deep. Despite his attitude issues, DeSean Jackson would be a great fit in Tampa. 1-on-1 he can blaze past the coverage vertically and Freeman would give him plenty of chances to make plays. Vincent Jackson is another guy that would fit in perfectly with what we are looking for. If we could land one of these two our offense would really take off.

I wanted to see if you picked up on Freeman's hesitance to tuck the ball and run this season. It seems to me like he has been reluctant to scramble, and as a result has forced some throws on the move that he shouldn't be making. Have you seen this too?

Your Freeman breakdown is spot on. In particular, your point about blindly tossing it deep rings true. We have some nice depth at the WR position (Williams, Benn, Parker, Briscoe and Stroughter), but we are really missing that deep threat that can run under a Freeman bomb, or out muscle a DB for a jump ball deep. Despite his attitude issues, DeSean Jackson would be a great fit in Tampa. 1-on-1 he can blaze past the coverage vertically and Freeman would give him plenty of chances to make plays. Vincent Jackson is another guy that would fit in perfectly with what we are looking for. If we could land one of these two our offense would really take off.

I wanted to see if you picked up on Freeman's hesitance to tuck the ball and run this season. It seems to me like he has been reluctant to scramble, and as a result has forced some throws on the move that he shouldn't be making. Have you seen this too?

I have to point out that most younger quarterbacks who are still learning the pro game's speed tend to tuck and run more often than they do with each passing season of their career. Peyton Manning was even known to take off and run his first few seasons, but he wasn't exactly a scrambler - and you'd almost never see that from him these last few years. I'd think that part of Freeman's reluctancy to tuck and run is him growing a little more confidence in his reads and ability to process what he's seeing down the field.

That said, he, unlike Peyton in the analogy I made, is a scrambler - so he definitely should be looking to make the play on his own two legs more often than he has this season. Maybe it's something the coaches have requested he not try to do so much, to try and let him develop that Big Ben/Tony Romo/etc type mentality, that sometimes scrambling behind the line and opening up a target can result in much bigger plays than a 10 yard baseball slide.

But, to throw another analogy out there: Remember Romo's first two seasons as a starter? Guy had that 'longest 2 yard gain in football' when he has to chase a bad snap 20 yards behind him. He used to make many plays with his legs, fairly frequently - but the last 3 or 4 years he's been using those same legs to scramble behind the line as opposed to past it, and finding the downfield play. Same happened with Ben Roethlisberger. Guys with those scramble abilities tend to gain more confidence in finding the downfield play behind their legs, as opposed to finding a quick first down all on their own.

Of course...I'm not saying it's all good, though. Sometimes moving the sticks is better than trying to find a downfield option and getting sacked either way - sacks while on the scramble turn into fumbles way too often. Or bigger losses than a simple sack in the pocket._________________

It is so refreshing to see someone other than Jets fans to realize how incredibly average Sanchez's supporting cast is, and how poor a fit Schotty and Sanchez are for each other.

I do disagree that Keller is more than average, but I suppose considering how the position only has a few powerhouses, he is probably a fringe top-10 guy.

To sandwich, who responded to me earlier, I was saying that because Edwards is also a deep threat, which is something the Jets are lacking sorely right now. Yes, Plax is doing good at what he's supposed to do, but the Jets offense seems to operate in an area no further than 20 yards from the LOS. It's not because of Sanchez either. Last season he threw the ball deep plenty, with success I might add.

The one thing no one can take away from him is that he wins, and can lead a game winning drive/quarter. He has the most comeback wins/game winning drives since 2010._________________

quietjetsket wrote:

It has been quite a privileged chat or work with you guys. From time to time.. From Craziness to Serious-mindedness.. From Troll to Boredom.. From Babes to Jets. From Foreigner to American.. Whatever!

If I knew you were doing more I would have asked you to have a look into Kevin Kolb. He has missed games this season so it should not take you as long...

I suppose I could get around to Kolb, he would just be hard to write much on because there's so little to go on.

From what I do see of him and have watched of him while in Arizona, he's definitely out of his element and in a system I don't think really plays to his strengths. Those receivers aren't built for the system Kolb is built for, though. So it's not as simple as changing the schematics a little.

It's a poor match. It's like trying to play a blu-ray disc on an Xbox. The discs look the same, and both machines play discs...but that doesn't mean it's going to work properly._________________

OMG! you hit the spot with sammy.. But I could tell you that he isn't stubborn for what I have read. Maybe he is! but he just doesn't seem that way.. He loves to learn and teach..

He also has lost confidence in his WR's at times. He puts his hands in the air like WTF?!!?! Failure doesn't come easy to him. He hates it and tries to do much(holding on to the ball)..

But damm he does that "It" factor. He's supremely talented.
Very refreshing man..

Well to be fair, throwing your hands up and acting like your receiver is all to blame isn't exactly going to help his situation or make him a favorite of the locker room.

You want to see like what Romo did against San Fran, pulling his receiver aside and explaining what he was anticipating and what the receiver should have did to adjust to the coverage, and learn together for the next time. Not act aggrevated that the receiver didn't see what you saw - especially when you likely released the ball late and threw into coverage.

But to be fair again, it isn't like Bradford is working with quality receivers out there on the field. Lloyd was brought in to be that real primary target, and he's pretty good, but they aren't in sync yet. And beyond him, there's not really anyone who can serve as an honest #2 or even #3 other than Amendola, who is injured._________________

OMG! you hit the spot with sammy.. But I could tell you that he isn't stubborn for what I have read. Maybe he is! but he just doesn't seem that way.. He loves to learn and teach..

He also has lost confidence in his WR's at times. He puts his hands in the air like WTF?!!?! Failure doesn't come easy to him. He hates it and tries to do much(holding on to the ball)..

But damm he does that "It" factor. He's supremely talented.
Very refreshing man..

Well to be fair, throwing your hands up and acting like your receiver is all to blame isn't exactly going to help his situation or make him a favorite of the locker room.

You want to see like what Romo did against San Fran, pulling his receiver aside and explaining what he was anticipating and what the receiver should have did to adjust to the coverage, and learn together for the next time. Not act aggrevated that the receiver didn't see what you saw - especially when you likely released the ball late and threw into coverage.

But to be fair again, it isn't like Bradford is working with quality receivers out there on the field. Lloyd was brought in to be that real primary target, and he's pretty good, but they aren't in sync yet. And beyond him, there's not really anyone who can serve as an honest #2 or even #3 other than Amendola, who is injured.

I'm just hoping for next year we come back healthy. We have some very nice pieces.._________________

I wouldn't be too eager to unseat Schaub as starter though. He's one talented QB, and was it not just a couple seasons ago he was leading the league in passing yards? Yates is showing promise, but you already know you're getting quality in Schaub.

Let me put this out there - in NO way do I see Yates taking the job away from Schaub. Matt Scahub is the QB for the Texans, TJ Yates is one of his backups. Nothing (outside of Yates putting the Texans on his shoulders and taking them to a SB win) is going to make me change that. Once the season is over, Matt is the starter.

My stance is as such:

1. For better or worse, Yates is the starter for the rest of the season. Donovan McNabb was passed on, Jake Delhomme was brought in, Jeff Garcia was brought in...there is no "other" option for the Texans. Rest of the season + playoffs is ALL Yates. Best to know if he has a shot to keep this team running in the midst of the best season in Texans' history.

2. Matt Schaub is out for the year with a lisfranc injury. This injury could very well carry over into next season; Heck, in the case of Heath Shuler, it was in essence a career ender. There needs to be a lot of review over Schaub to see if he can physically PLAY, let alone play at the level he's accustomed to.

3. Backup - Yates is the #3 in a "normal" world. Matt Leinart probably lost his chance at earning a starting job with his broken collarbone, but with the cutthroat marketplace that is the NFL, it might cost him more than that proverbial "final" shot. Yates makes much less than Leinart, and with contracts expiring for the likes of C Chris Myers, OLB Mario Williams and RB Arian Foster, cutting corners with Leinart might be the difference in getting the scratch to resign those core guys.

4. Trade Value - We've seen potential "franchise" QBs moved in a heartbeat. Kevin Kolb moved for a starter-esque CB and picks, Brett Favre for picks, AJ Feeley for picks - heck, Matt Schaub himself was someone who was traded for a long time ago. TJ Yates will have his good and bad moments, yes...but in a "bigger picture" sense, will the guy hold trade value for someone who won't have a shot at Andrew Luck/Robert Griffin III/Landry Jones/Matt Barkley but still has a need for a QB? In essence, can the Texans look to turn this former 5th round pick into a higher pick down the line, maybe 2-3 years later?_________________

I wouldn't be too eager to unseat Schaub as starter though. He's one talented QB, and was it not just a couple seasons ago he was leading the league in passing yards? Yates is showing promise, but you already know you're getting quality in Schaub.

Let me put this out there - in NO way do I see Yates taking the job away from Schaub. Matt Scahub is the QB for the Texans, TJ Yates is one of his backups. Nothing (outside of Yates putting the Texans on his shoulders and taking them to a SB win) is going to make me change that. Once the season is over, Matt is the starter.

My stance is as such:

1. For better or worse, Yates is the starter for the rest of the season. Donovan McNabb was passed on, Jake Delhomme was brought in, Jeff Garcia was brought in...there is no "other" option for the Texans. Rest of the season + playoffs is ALL Yates. Best to know if he has a shot to keep this team running in the midst of the best season in Texans' history.

2. Matt Schaub is out for the year with a lisfranc injury. This injury could very well carry over into next season; Heck, in the case of Heath Shuler, it was in essence a career ender. There needs to be a lot of review over Schaub to see if he can physically PLAY, let alone play at the level he's accustomed to.

3. Backup - Yates is the #3 in a "normal" world. Matt Leinart probably lost his chance at earning a starting job with his broken collarbone, but with the cutthroat marketplace that is the NFL, it might cost him more than that proverbial "final" shot. Yates makes much less than Leinart, and with contracts expiring for the likes of C Chris Myers, OLB Mario Williams and RB Arian Foster, cutting corners with Leinart might be the difference in getting the scratch to resign those core guys.

4. Trade Value - We've seen potential "franchise" QBs moved in a heartbeat. Kevin Kolb moved for a starter-esque CB and picks, Brett Favre for picks, AJ Feeley for picks - heck, Matt Schaub himself was someone who was traded for a long time ago. TJ Yates will have his good and bad moments, yes...but in a "bigger picture" sense, will the guy hold trade value for someone who won't have a shot at Andrew Luck/Robert Griffin III/Landry Jones/Matt Barkley but still has a need for a QB? In essence, can the Texans look to turn this former 5th round pick into a higher pick down the line, maybe 2-3 years later?

Fair enough.

And the trade bait concept is relatively smart. Especially if you look at your own Matt Schaub, who was a backup to Vick for several years and was trade bait for two of those. It wasn't until Houston offered two second rounders for him that he actually got moved - Atlanta was seeking two firsts the previous year._________________